It is known to those who are familiar with frames and panels applied to buildings as cladding, lining or cavity panels, that these panels have a protective covering which seals the panels from water. However such sealants create an impervious surface which prevents moisture from escaping from within or passing through the panels. Absence of capillaries through these panels prevents the panel from breathing, resulting in an accumulation of moisture.
In current art, panels and impervious insulation assemblies are placed within wall cavities where condensation accumulates undetected in the early life of the building. Consequently, the trapped condensation causes dampness in the adjacent frames leading to building deterioration.
Accumulation of condensation also provides moisture for moss and mildew to grow. These growths are considered major health risks to inhabitants of buildings. To compensate for this moisture accumulation, existing art includes are a number of add-on processes that include the creation of additional escape channels, using battens and furring members behind the panels. These additional processes require skilled labour, project time and costs. These add-on channels are subject to blockage from construction material and waste.
It is known to those who are familiar in the art of covering buildings and other objects that materials should be easy to handle. However, many of these existing panel systems are heavy, requiring expensive lifting apparatus to apply them to a building.
Existing composite panel systems that use insulation layers between panels, fail to provide sufficient passages within the assembly for air or moisture to pass. This lack of ventilation causes condensation.
Existing insulation systems place a metallic reflective film within a wall cavity to reflect heat back towards the cavity. In such circumstances, the air in the cavity gains heat which is reflected back into the outer wall material—the main source of heat initially. This outer wall material in turn radiates heat back into the cavity. This heat compounding process continues with a resulting heat gain in the cavity air, which has no ventilation. This whole process illustrates the inadequate insulation of such art.
Existing bulk insulation products are often poorly supported within existing insulating systems. The lack of adequate and enduring support of the bulk insulation results in the fibres sagging, which eventually leaves a thick collapsed layer near the base of the panel and thin layer of bulk insulation near the top of the panel. The thin layer has considerably reduced capacity of insulation compared with the original capacity, leading to reduced heat and sound insulation after an indefinite period.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.